You may never have heard of E. A. Adeboye, but the pastor of The Redeemed Christian Church of God is one of the most successful preachers in the world. He boasts that his church has outposts in 110 countries. He has 14,000 branches—claiming 5 million members—in his home country of Nigeria alone. There are 360 RCCG churches in Britain, and about the same number in U.S. cities like Chicago, Dallas, and Tallahassee, Fla. Adeboye says he has sent missionaries to China and such Islamic countries as Pakistan and Malaysia. His aspirations are outsize. He wants to save souls, and he wants to do so by planting churches the way Starbucks used to build coffee shops: everywhere.

"In the developing world we say we want churches to be within five minutes' walk of every person," he tells NEWSWEEK. "In the developed world, we say five minutes of driving." Such a goal may seem outlandish, but Adeboye is a Pentecostal preacher: he believes in miracles. And Pentecostalism is the biggest, fastest-growing Christian movement since the Reformation.( http://www.newsweek.com/2008/12/19/49-e-a-adeboye.html)

Referred to as "The doyen of Pentecostal preachers," Pastor Enoch Adeboye, is one of the first who saw the visions of a lucrative market in religion, before it got overcrowded

by rivals. He started his Holy Ghost Congress church in 1986. After surveying the scene of his country, beset by crime, corruption and political strife, he saw a colossal sea of spiritual possibilities ready for his taking.

Adeboye's style is more laid-back. He dresses simply, speaks softly, but arrests almost effortlessly the attention of the rich and the poor. Under Adeboye, fondly called Daddy G.O., the RCCG, which was founded in 1952 by the late Josiah Olufemi Akindayomi, has grown exponentially.

In 1981, when Adeboye took over, the ministry had a few dozen parishes. It is currently Nigeria's most ambitious evangelical project, establishing, according to the church, three parishes daily. It has an estimated 200 parishes in the USA. It also has in about 90 nations across Africa and Europe . It is easily the fastest growing church in the world. Every parish established within one year sends 10 per cent of its tithes and offerings to the headquarters.

Those that have existed for between one and two years remit 15 per cent of such, while older ones remit 20 per cent. Last July, the church announced its plans to build a 10,000-capacity sanctuary in Floyd, Texas, USA. The is to be built on 500 acres of land bought at a cost of $1million. The land will also have two lecture theatres, a dormitory, cottages, lake and a Christian the med park.

Back home, the church's might is unmissable. There is a parish within every five-minute drive, or in some cases less than that radius. But the church's most famous landmark is the Redemption Camp, a monstrously vast acreage located on the Lagos/Ibadan expressway.

It hosts the monthly camp meeting called Holy Ghost Night which, according to the church, attracts crowds of between 800,000 and 1.2 million. Held on the first Friday of every month, the night long programme offers worshippers an avenue to ask God for their desires; and the church, an opportunity to boost its finances. About 20,000 ushers with polythene bags move round the huge crowd, taking offerings and other monetary pledges.

The camp also hosts the Holy Ghost congress, the church's biggest event of the year. The congress, which holds every December, is a three-day affair which draws RCCG members from Nigeria and outside, as well as from other denominations. In 1998, it assumed a bigger dimension, with the successful hosting of Lekki '98 at Lekki Beach , Lagos . (http://www.yesumulungi.com/index.php/apostasy-watch/356-a-cursed-generation-of-nigerian-pastors-are-they-ripe-for-judgment.html)

ALSO SEE:

$4 million crusade: How Benny Hinn embarrassed me – Pastor Adeboye

http://nm.onlinenigeria.com/templates/?a=4709&z=12

Wednesday, August 17, 2005 –

By FEMI BABAFEMIFirst it was controversy over accountability. American evangelist, Benny Hinn said the $4million dollars he spent on the national healing crusade held in Nigeria was money gone down the drain.

But chairman of the committee that handled the programme, Bishop Olarenwaju Obembe said $1million and not $4million was spent on the event.

Now another whiff of controversy has come. Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, whose campground was used for the crusade, says Benny Hinn both ridiculed and embarrassed him.

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The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye has revealed how he was embarrassed by the American evangelist, Dr Benny Hinn on the last day of the controversial national healing crusade held recently in Lagos.

Apparently concerned about the controversy, which has been trailing the crusade, Pastor Adeboye told a large congregation of Pastors and ministers in his church at a special meeting that he gave out the expansive Redemption Campground to the organisers of the crusade free of charge.

“Let me tell all of you that I never collected a naira or dollar from anybody. I don’t know anything about four million dollars, every of our facilities used was given out free,” Pastor Adeboye told the pastors while addressing them at the church’s campground along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway where the controversial crusade also took place about four weeks ago.

Dr. Hinn had sparked controversy on the last day of the crusade when he openly expressed regret that the money he pumped into the project could have been put into better use. “Four million dollars down the drain!”, he reportedly shouted during the crusade.

Besides denying knowledge of how much was given and who got what, the highly revered General Overseer also narrated how he felt embarrassed by the way the American preacher treated him during the three-day programme.

While urging the church officials to imbibe the spirit of humility exhibited by Jesus Christ in his lifetime, Pastor Adeboye explained how he and his wife, Pastor Foluke, attended the three day crusade without being given any courtesy or even the honour of addressing the congregation as their host.

As if that was not enough humiliation, the General Overseer said on the last day of the crusade, Dr. Hinn addressed him publicly in a manner, which fell short of simple courtesy.

According to him, the American evangelist called him out to the stage and said;” I don’t know your name, but they say your name is Bro. Enoch, come let me pray for you.”

In spite of the open humiliation, Pastor Adeboye said he took that in good faith, adding that his consolation was that no pastor of his church would have treated a good host who provided a number of facilities for a crusade the way he was treated.

He admonished them that they should learn how to appreciate every little favour granted them by fellow men of God or others because God Himself cherished appreciation.

He urged them to take the message to their various congregations that he never collected or saw a dollar out of Dr. Hinn’s alleged four million dollars, which has become a subject of controversy.

Pastor Adeboye’s Ridiculous Prophecies

http://www.naijarita.com/2006/pastor-adeboye-prophecies

Political leaders have criticized Pastor E.A. Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) for his prophecies for 2007 released many months in advance. The prophecies have led to spontaneous eruptions of religious and ethnic disinterest, apathy, and inability-to-give-a-damn all over the country.

We have decided to publish a transcript of the controversial prophecies. This is the most respected man of God in Nigeria, and his words have never fallen to the ground. We all need to study these prophecies so we too can decide whether to zealously ignore them along with the thousands of others who have been mightily unimpressed by them.

1. “The Lord says that Nigeria will be the giant of Africa next year. During the year 2007, there is not going to be a single country throughout Africa with a population as great as ours. As long as we serve him faithfully and attend church regularly, the Lord says our children shall be as numerous as the sands on ten mountains. Crowd: “Amen!”

2. “Some fertile married women will deliver babies in 2007, while many children currently in primary six will gain admission into secondary schools. Many of you who are brilliant final year students in higher institutions will graduate with flying colors during 2007. Most engaged couples with weddings fixed for 2007 will get married!” Crowd: “Amen!”

3. “Daddy says that in the year 2007 there will be a dry season and a rainy season. For Christians, the dry season in January may dry up any puddles on their streets and the rainy season in August will bring them massive showers of water from heaven. Unbelievers will experience the scorching sun during the dry season and their children will be scared by thunder and lightening during the August rains.” Crowd: “Amen!”

4. “Something very bad – very very bad – is going to happen sometime in 2007. I can’t tell you what it is now, but baba says we need to pray to avert this great tragedy from our nation. He says those who dodge their tithes and offerings may be the ones hardest hit by this looming maliase. Nigeria needs to be very very afraid in this next year 2007!” Crowd: “Jesus!”

“Note: You will need to attend the Holy Ghost convention every month till the end of 2007 so we can cry to God and ask him to spare Nigeria from the tragedy, which I will explain to you in 2008 after it has happened.”

Adeboye, Oritsejafor, Okogie Urge Locals to Turn Out En Masse

http://allafrica.com/stories/201104020160.html

Sam Eyoboka & Olayinka Latona

Vanguard , 2 April 2011

CHRISTIAN leaders including General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, CAN President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor and Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Anthony Cardinal Okogie have urged Nigerians to troup out en masse today to cast their votes in the National Assembly elections, saying that the ongoing polls are very crucial for the consolidation of democratic exercise in the country.Despite discordant tunes from different governmental officials over whether voters should stay behind to witness vote counting, the clerics emphasised the need for the Nigerian electorate to cast their ballots for any candidate of their choice and exercise the right to stay behind to defend their votes by ensuring that their ballots counted.There have been so much hoopla over whether voters have the right to stay in the voting area to await the result of the polls and capture the details on GSM phones, but the men of God appear to be unanimous in their resolve that Nigerians should be allowed to observe the electoral process to the ultimate end and be free to communicate results to their parties.Pastor Adeboye went the extra mile to caution the umpire body, INEC against any form of manipulation of the electoral process, warning that the Christian Community in the country might be tempted to go the streets to protest any form of imposition this time around.While urging Nigerians to troup out enmasse,Pastor Adeboye said: "INEC, we love you, but no mago mago this time. I will lead the fight, if we suspect any mago mago. Give us a free and fair election, whatever the result is, just give us a free and fair election."In a telephone interview, the CAN President lamented the spate of violence across the country, saying "it is a shame that our politicians appear not to have learnt anything over the years. All over the world, political office is seen as an opportunity to make sacrifice to serve the people and that is why it is surprising that Nigerians kill themselves for political office."If your desire is to serve the people, you will allow the will of the people to prevail and not go all out to attack political opponents and create the impression that you are on a mission to enrich yourself," Oritsejafor argued, adding however, that Nigerians must undermine such distractions and go out and vote for candidates of their choice.Asked what would be the role of CAN during the entire electoral process, he said the umbrella body had perfected plans to deploy observers to different parts of the country to observe the process and give feedback to the parent body.Speaking through the Lagos Archdiocesan Director of Social Communications, Cardinal Okogie said the Catholic Church alone through its JDPC is deploying over 1,000 election monitors to different parts of the country to serve as observers, saying that Nigerians must come out en masse to exercise their civic responsibility."They should come and vote their conscience and must be prepared to defend their votes. No Nigerian should allow any politician to influence their conscience because if they give money today, as soon as they assume power, they would forget about your contribution and they would not be accountable to you," Okogie argued.The clerics in unison also decried several politically-motivated violence across the states of the federation, saying that such acts of barbarism in this 21st Century portray the nation in very bad light in the comity of nations, stating that politicians ought to have learnt that political contest, all over the world, is not a do-or-die affair.